


The Bromance Contract

by severalkittens



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 18:30:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17924084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/severalkittens/pseuds/severalkittens
Summary: An argument that takes place in a world where Eric and Dele are contracted to post about their bromance, and Eric doesn't want to anymore.





	The Bromance Contract

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a one shot based on a half-formed idea I had.

“I don’t want to do it anymore! The bromance contract. I can’t take it. I’m out.”

“Dier, Eric, relax,” Dele tries to grab at his arms but Eric’s pacing is too agitated. “Calm down, talk to me.”

“I- the fighting. Last week. It’s too much.” Eric turns to look at Dele. He can feel the panic building in his chest, rising in his throat. The backs of his eyes prickle and he rubs at them with his hands. He feels Dele’s hand gently, tentatively come to rest on Eric’s arm. He takes a deep breath, tries to remember the words he rehearsed in the shower minutes earlier.

“I can’t have my life be online anymore. I can’t have our relationship online anymore, up for public consumption. I feel like I’m going mad.” Dele’s rubbing small circles on his shoulder. Eric’s fighting the panic down but he’s pretty sure he can’t fight the tears. “I can’t sleep, Del, I can’t stop thinking about what they’re all saying, what they’re all thinking. It’s too real.” 

Big tears spill out of Eric’s eyes and roll down his cheeks. He drives the heels of his palms into his eyes, wanting to hide from Dele’s gaze. Dele sighs, takes a step closer, and wraps his arms around Eric’s heaving shoulders. “Oh, Eric,” he whispers into his hair. Eric buries his face into Dele’s sweater and sobs silently. 

“Shhhhh,” Dele whispers against his temple, resting his soft lips against Eric’s skin. Dele’s hand rubs small circles into his back. He focuses on Dele’s calm, even breath, trying to match it. After a few minutes, he’s calmed down. He draws back, and looks miserably up at Dele. 

Dele takes his hand and leads him to the couch. “When did you start feeling like this?”

Eric sniffs, wipes his nose on his sleeve. “Right after we filmed the Gogglebox.” Dele clicks his tongue in a pitying manner. 

“It hadn’t aired yet. I started thinking about how it would land. Had to know. It started on instagram. The fan accounts. Then it was the tabloids, tumblr, reddit. They all had something to say about me. Next thing I knew, I was checking them every day. It wasn’t just our relationship. Some of them didn’t want me on the first team anymore. The more I read, the more I overthought things. The more I overthought things, the worse I played. The worse I played, the more they commented.” Dele pushes a tissue box into his hands. He takes one and blows his nose.

“But it was the stuff about me, about us, that was the worst. It seemed like everyone wanted a piece of me. My hair, my body, my uh- you know, penis.” Dele snorts at that. “We hadn’t done any interviews or posts in a while, you and me. There was the world cup, and then after we were on vacation, then at the beginning of the season I wasn’t posting too much because I honestly didn’t have much to say. By the time we filmed the Gogglebox, people were speculating that we broke up, or got into a fight, or something. I know we’re not out, but we might as well be the way people talk about us. And the things they say! The things they write about us.

“They write fanfiction, Del, do you know what fan fiction is?” Dele nods once, so Eric goes on. 

“Anyway, the first time I had a panic attack, in my entire life, was the night the Gogglebox aired. I thought about all those people, about what they were going to say, whether they’d pick apart our every interaction, and then they’d know for sure.

“And Eriksen. When he said you’d cheat on me.”

“Dier, you know I’d never-“

“Yes, of course I know you’d never. But I saw all the response to that and it felt so real. We fought. That was when-“

“I remember,” says Dele, seriously. “Oh Eric, why didn’t you me sooner?”

“I didn’t realize for a long time. And then I did. But I was worried you wouldn’t want to. Wouldn’t want to stop, that is. You’re so good with the cameras, and the media, you handle it so well. I didn’t know if you would give up that part of your image.”

“Of course I would for you, Dier,” he sounds a little frustrated, and Eric doesn’t blame him.

“I know, Dele, I know. It’s why I told you anyway.” 

Dele holds both of Eric’s hands in his own and looks into his eyes. “Eric, first thing tomorrow morning, we’ll call our agents. We’ll tell them we want to cancel the contract. It’ll be totally fine, they’ll just drum up someone new like Winksy, or-“

“My replacement.” Eric really can’t help the blind panic that bubbles in his chest. Dele realizes his mistakeand grimaces. 

“No, Eric, not your replacement. I’m not looking to replace you. Spurs aren’t looking to replace you.”

“Sorry,” says Eric quietly.

“Listen,” says Dele, sitting up straighter. “You should talk to someone. I’m here for you, but- look, when I started seeing someone about my anger, it helped a lot. And I think it took some of the burden off you.” Eric couldn’t deny that.

“Ok,” he allows. He’s just so thankful Dele’s reacting the way he is, he’d say yes to just about anything. He starts to get teary-eyed again. 

Dele places a gentle hand on Eric’s neck. “You ok?”

“Yeah, it’s just- you’re so good to me. I don’t deserve this,” Eric answers wetly. 

Dele breaks into a smile at that. “You do deserve this. Come on, we’ll sort this all out tomorrow. I’ll help. Can you come to bed now?” Dele stands up, and pulls at Eric’s hands. Eric gets to his feet and leans into Dele’s waiting arms. They stand like that, Eric squeezing Dele’s shoulder’s like his life depends on it. 

“You’re going to be ok, Dier. We’re going to be ok.” 

When they get upstairs, Dele picks up Eric’s phone from the bedside table, and shuts it off. Eric nods in agreement. Dele pulls back the comforter, and motions for Eric to get inside. Dele tucks him in, and kisses him on the forehead, and then slides in next to him.


End file.
